10yr old tearaway with natural talent! What are the options?

[massivebigpantsface]

My 10 year old brother has played keyboard since he could sit up, while he's not a genius, he certainly has a natural talent and has achieved grade 5.

He has a very natural 'feel' for the music and above all, passion. its the first thing he does in the morning and when he gets in from school.

The problem is he is not academic in any way and struggles with his school work. He can also be a real handful and is always in trouble both in and out of school.

He has one year left at his small, village primary school, who have always really nurtured his talent, and the worry is that once he starts secondary school it will get get pushed aside and he will have nothing to keep him from going down the wrong path.

What other options are there? I don't know if he's good enough to get a scholarship (something his headmistress has mentioned in passing) but is it worth a try? How would we go about this?
He already attends music classes on a Saturday.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Can you have a chat with his music teacher and see if she knows anything about local schools that are good for encouraging musical talent or who to contact about scholarships.

ask around your local private schools to see if they have music scholarships?

many do. they value the "our pupils are in xxx orchestra" factor

but dont mention that he can be a handful

I agree about looking into music scholarships at local private/grammar schools. His academic work may improve if he can play music and be involved in a school band/orchestra because he will possibly, be more interested in school.

Primary children who play piano are normally left out in school band/orchestras unless they play a smaller woodwind or string instrument. It can make them feel their musical achivements and hard work, go unnoticed IYKWIM.

thanks, i think that will have to be the first step.